


You're a Gem

by SnapSnapEldritchBlast



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Spoilers Up To Episode 129, fjord is a good boyfriend, talking about feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-21
Packaged: 2021-03-24 09:28:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30070170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SnapSnapEldritchBlast/pseuds/SnapSnapEldritchBlast
Summary: With all the chaos happening currently, Fjord and Jester finally get a soft moment to have a check-in and also have separate (and unexpected) check-ins with Jester's parents.Chapter 1: Fjord and JesterChapter 2: Jester and MarionChapter 3: Fjord and the Gentleman
Relationships: Fjord/Jester Lavorre, Fjorester - Relationship
Comments: 28
Kudos: 96





	1. Pure Honey

**Author's Note:**

> I have been itching for these two to get a moment to talk for AGES so I wrote it because I just couldn't get it out of my head. Plus, they really do deserve some tenderness.

Fjord’s eyes darted back and forth between Jester and her parents. 

When Marion and the Gentleman had reunited after all this time apart, the Gentleman had requested that they have a private conversation. Everyone had agreed, but Marion couldn’t bring herself to let go of Fjord’s hand, and all parties had agreed it was necessary for Jester to be present for this conversation. Which is how Fjord found himself sitting at the table with the three of them.

He had felt a bit awkward and out of place in this family conversation, but he had no interest in leaving when Jester was holding his hand so tightly under the table. Whenever she would squeeze it, he would slowly rub his thumb across the back of her hand, and then gently squeeze it back. After the situation was explained, accommodations settled, and an awkward “how have you been?”, the four of them fell into an uncomfortable silence. As Marion stands to go and update the Brenatto family, Fjord clears his throat. 

“Uh excuse me, Mr. Gentleman? Is there a free room where I could have a word with Jester?”

“Of course.” He responds, looking grateful for the change of conversation, and stands up to point them to a quiet and empty room.

Jester follows behind, and lets out a quiet “thanks, Dad” to the Gentleman before walking into the room and closing the door behind her and Fjord. She turns around to see Fjord standing in front of her, with his arms open and a soft smile.

“Come here.”

Without hesitation, she buries her face in his chest and wraps her arms around his torso, and quickly bursts into tears. The tears don’t stop flowing. Jester cries for the situation her family and friends are in, for her parent’s discomfort, for the trauma of the past 24 hours, for the fear of the Nonagon and Somnovum, and for losing 5 years of her life. Fjord holds her close to his chest, and runs his hands through her hair gently and methodically. Occasionally he rubs her back and presses soft kisses to the top of her head, all while reminding her in whispers that it’s okay, that she doesn’t have to be strong all the time, and encourages her to let it all out. Her hands grip his shirt tighter, and Fjord feels his heart break for her.

Eventually, the tears start to slow and she pulls back slightly to wipe her eyes and nose. 

“Thanks, Fjord.” she says with a bit of a shaky breath, trying her best to calm her breathing.

He smiles softly. “Anytime. Did that help at all?”

She nods, and rests her head against his chest. “Yeah.” She sighs before continuing. “It’s just too much, Fjord. It’s all too much, you know?”

“I know, Jessie. It’s so much.” He affirms, and then pulls back slightly so he can lift her face up. “But you don’t have to handle it alone, ok? I’ll be by your side for as long as you have me. I can’t fix a lot of the problems, but we can tackle it together.”

Jester can’t help but stare at him, taken aback by his words. She leans into his hand that’s holding her cheek. “Okay,” she says quietly, and pauses before continuing. “That sounds good.”

There’s a quiet moment where they stay like that, with Fjord waiting to see if she is going to continue further as he can see Jester is clearly thinking about something. To his surprise, she suddenly smirks. “As long as I’ll have you, huh? Well you better get used to being around me for a very long time.”

Fjord grins. “That sounds great to me.”

They both lean in to close the distance between them, and Jester brings her hands up to wrap around the back of his neck and shoulders. It feels like it’s been ages since their last kiss, and they can’t help but notice how _right_ it feels. It’s warm and soft and comfortable, and Jester lets out a sigh as Fjord pulls her closer against him. She runs her tongue along Fjord’s bottom lip and he opens his mouth to her, and as their mouths move together she realizes that this is by far the best thing to happen to either of them in the past 48 hours. 

He pulls back before anything can get too heated, and rests his forehead against hers. She giggles.

“Hey Fjordie?”

“Mmm hmm?”

Her eyes sparkle as she looks up at him. “I love you.”

Fjord’s eyebrows fly upwards, but he smiles. He smiles the happiest smile he thinks he’s ever smiled in his life. He didn’t think this little blue tiefling saying three words would make his heart feel like it’s exploding, but it does. 

“You do?”

She grins and nods her head quickly. 

Fjord leans down and turns his head slightly to the side, and Jester knows that he always does this whenever he adds something a little silly or extra to a conversation.

“Well it just so happens that I love you too.”

Jester giggles again, and leans in to kiss him but both of them are smiling too much to be able to really kiss properly. He can feel tears on her cheeks, and he is beyond relieved to know she is crying happy tears instead of earlier. He pulls back and wipes them away.

“By the way, what were you going to say in the alley before we were interrupted?”

“Oh! I was going to tell you that I had been worrying about you, and…” Jester pauses, and looks away to the side. “And maybe apologize for not attuning to your ring when I was in the fire plane and fell into lava?”

Fjord freezes. “You fell _in_ lava? Like _actual_ lava?”

“I lost 2 of my toes.”

His eyes widen, and quickly looks her over. “Are you ok?” he says alarmed, and begins to prepare a healing spell.

“I’m fine, Caduceus healed me.” Jester notices the way his body relaxes a bit in relief. “But I am sorry for not using your ring.”

Fjord sighs, and brushes her hair out of her eyes. “It’s ok. By the sound of how things went, it’s not like you had any time to attune to it when you were there.”

“Yeah.” 

They fall into a comfortable silence in each other’s arms. Just hugging each other and listening to their heartbeat is a peace and comfort they haven’t felt in awhile. Jester feels Fjord pull them towards a chair in the room, and as he sits in it she settles herself in his lap, tucking her head against his shoulder and lets her tail lazily wrap around his calf. Fjord wraps an arm around her, and rests his other hand on one of her thighs near her knees. He begins to absent-mindedly draw patterns on her leg with his finger, and she lets out a quiet closed-mouth laugh when she notices him drawing a dick. They savour and indulge in this moment; it’s rare and special and beautiful, and they know they don’t have it for long.

“Is there anything else you need?” Jester hears Fjord mumble against her, and before she can let out a reply, her stomach growls loudly. She blushes and gently laughs along with Fjord.

“I guess I’m really hungry.”

“Do you want me to order some food and bring it back here for you?”

“That would be great, thank you Fjord.” She pauses before continuing. “Really, thank you. For everything. For this, for helping with me with my mom… you’re just the best.”

He smiles softly at her, and his golden eyes have such a softness to them Jester could swear they were pure honey.

“I love you.”

“I love you.” she replies, and although it’s a new sentiment, with every time she says it, it feels more natural.

Fjord lifts her up bridal style as he stands up, and then places Jester back in the chair. He bends down to give her one final sweet kiss, and then turns around and walks out the door to find Jester some breakfast - and also pastries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we go! Chapter 1 done! I hope to have the other 2 chapters done hopefully before Thursday's episode, but no promises! Let me know if you liked it!
> 
> Cross posted on my fjorester side blog as well: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/fjoresterthoughts


	2. Come Home Together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Buckle up for big "I really like this boy" motherly vibes.

As Fjord goes to close the door to the room Jester is in, he spends half a second for one last look at her. She’s curled herself into an even tighter ball in the chair they were in, and her tired eyes are now closed. He doesn’t blame her, his eyes would be tired too after all the tears she shed. He makes an effort to close the door as gently as possible, and hopes she can get in a five minute nap while he finds her some food. 

Of course, when he turns around he finds himself face to face with Marion Lavorre, and quickly covers his mouth with his hand to muffle the undignified yelp of surprise. 

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you” Marion quickly reassures, but there is an amusement in her eyes that reminds him so much of Jester.

Fjord coughs, desperately trying to recover. “Oh no, no, no, I just didn’t see you there.” He clears his throat. “Is there anything I can help you with?”

“Oh, I just wanted to see Jester. But if I was interrupting anything, I can come back later.”

“Of course, you can go right in. I’m just going to get Jester some food, we just finished.” Fjord pauses for a split second, and his face very quickly flushes as he realizes what he just said. “Talking! We were just talking. And we finished talking! Would you like some food too?”

Marion tries very hard not to start laughing. “I would love some fruit if they have any.”

“Yep! Sure thing! I will go and look for fruit along with Jester’s breakfast.” Fjord attempts to say calmly, but his face is still flushed and he can hear his own heartbeat in his ears.

Before he can embarrass himself any further, he respectfully nods, and turns on his heel towards the direction of the main hall, leaving Marion to herself outside the door. She knocks carefully, and opens the door just a crack.

“Jester? It’s me. May I come in?”

“Yes, Mama.” she hears Jester say, and steps inside closing the door behind her.

“I just ran into your friend Fjord.”

Jester laughs. “Oh, I heard the whole thing.”

Marion gently laughs as well, and joins her in one of the adjacent chairs. “Poor boy. I thought he was going to fall over!”

The two laugh more before falling into a silence, and Marion smiles at her daughter. “He seems to be taking good care of you.”

Marion watches intently as Jester smiles softly and happily sighs to herself, almost in a way that she is temporarily lost in a happy memory.

“He really does. I love him, Mama.”

“Does he love you back?”

Jester nods, with a bright smile. 

Marion smiles back at her daughter. “You know, that is the brightest smile I have seen from you in ages.” She claps her hands together to redirect the conversation. “So! Tell me more about him! How long have you two been together? I want to hear all about it.”

Jester jumps forward in her chair, with a renewed sense of energy. She tells Marion all about Fjord being from Port Damali, being raised in an orphanage, his sailing background, and all kinds of moments the two of them have had in this year that they’ve known each other. Marion listens intently - she loves hearing the stories, and loves seeing her daughter so animated and lively again. This is a good distraction for them both. Not to mention, she truly is interested to know more about this man who is so taken with her daughter.

“But when did the two of you become an item? I have to admit, I have been wondering ever since I first met him and you described him as very handsome and he told me ‘he could see where Jester gets her good looks from’” Marion comments, and playfully flips her hair off her shoulder.

Jester can’t help but giggle at her mother, but she does blush at the comment. “Only recently. He told me - well.” Jester sighs, and her mood shifts. “Please don’t be upset Mama.”

“Okay…” Marion replies, looking concerned.

Jester takes a deep breath before continuing. “We found some creepy statues up north, and I stood in the middle of them while we all were investigating them. And, well… I had to ask them a question or I couldn’t leave. So I asked about our mission up in Eiselcross and -” she pauses again. “The price was taking 5 years off my life.”

Jester closes her eyes, and looks down. She closes them tighter when she feels her mother’s hands trace her horns.

“That’s heartbreaking.”

Jester finally looks up at her mother’s face, and sees a look of sadness and deep concern. Her brows are furrowed, but her eyes also feel distant, like she is still processing this information and wrapping her brain around it. 

“How did it make you feel?” Marion asks, and holds Jester’s hand in hers. 

“Confused. Scared. The information I got from the statues was scary, but…” She sighs deeply. “Do I need to suddenly act very grown up? Do I act the same as I did before? I’m so confused.”

Marion thinks for a moment before responding. “Well, just be yourself. Be who you want to be, not who you think you need to be. You live such an exciting life, filled with colour and adventure. And I think you should continue to live the lifestyle you want and have carved out for yourself but…” she squeezes her daughter’s hand. “Just please… be careful?”

Jester nods. “I will. It’s funny, Fjord said something similar.”

“Oh? What did he say?”

“After the statues, he told me how worried he was and apologized to me for not rushing in, especially after he promised to you he would look out for me.” Marion smiles and Jester continues. “Which he didn’t need to, because it wasn’t his fault. _Buuuut_ he also asked me to be more careful since he cares very deeply for me, and he asked if he could kiss me.”

Marion’s face softens. “He’s a good man. It sounds like he realized that it is important to tell the people you love that you love them while they’re around.”

Jester hums in affirmation, and the two of them fall into a brief comfortable silence before Marion speaks again.

“I assume you kissed him?”

“Of _course_ , Mama!”

A genuine smile spreads across Marion's face. “It’s very nice to hear about someone that makes you so happy, my sapphire. Although, I suppose I need to get used to there being an emerald now as well.”

“He really does make me happy.” Jester sweetly replies, and Marion reaches forward and pulls Jester in for a hug. As much as having a quiet moment with Fjord was wonderful and so needed, hugging her mother satisfies a very different and equally important need for her. _There is nothing quite like one of Mama’s hugs_ , Jester thinks to herself. She gives Marion one last squeeze before pulling back. 

“But how are you feeling about Dad?” Jester asks, and her earlier excitement has faded into hesitation.

Marion sighs. “Oh.. nervous, I suppose. But I’ll adapt. We both will. You don’t need to worry about us, okay? You have bigger things to worry about. And you don’t need to apologize either, this is not your fault.”

Jester holds her mother’s hand again, rubs the back of it gently. “I’ll always worry about you, Mama.”

Marion leans forward and plants a kiss on Jester’s forehead, and the two of them murmur a few “I love you’s” to each other. As Marion pulls back, she looks her daughter in the eyes. 

“I want you both to come back to me, alright? I know he promised he would look after you, but you look after him too.”

“I will Mama.”

“Good.” she says with approval. “I want the sapphire and emerald to come home together.”

Jester laughs. “Trust me, neither of us have any intention of the opposite.”

She keeps her fear that neither of them will return to herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter left! I hope to have it up by Friday or Saturday. Let's hope canon doesn't mess up my writing plans too much! 
> 
> Let me know if you liked this chapter ☺️
> 
> As always, cross posted on my fjorester sideblog: https://fjoresterthoughts.tumblr.com/


	3. Steady

Fjord walks briskly to the main hall of the Gentleman’s bar. He curses inwardly at himself for his awkwardness with Marion, but tries to focus on his current mission: acquiring breakfast. He sees some of the Mighty Nein sitting together at a far off table and gives them a quick wave while walking with purpose towards his destination. 

Fjord arrives at the bar and quickly makes an order of hashbrowns, bacon, and some potentially stale bread. He’s disappointed yet unsurprised that the only “pastry” they have are some cookies, and the only fruit they have are grapes, but he orders them as well. Thankfully since they arrived in the morning, the grill is already on and it won’t take too long to be ready.

Fjord leans against the bar while he waits for the food to be served. Looking around, he can’t help but notice how different the environment is compared to the Lavish Chateau. Although the underground bar has candle-lit chandeliers, it is a complete contrast to the bright, open, and colourful space of Marion’s bar. Both are certainly lively places, but it's evident that patrons come here for very different purposes. 

Just as he wonders how comfortable Marion will be in here, he looks over his shoulder and sees the Gentleman approaching him.

“How is Jester doing?” he asks, as he settles himself against the bar next to Fjord, not making eye contact.

“She’s doing better.” Fjord says safely, not sure of what Jester would be comfortable sharing. “I’m just getting some breakfast for her and her mother.”

“Hmm. That’s good.” the Gentleman replies, finally looking up at Fjord. He pauses to take a small swig of a flask on his belt. 

Fjord decides against making a comment that it is only ten o’clock in the morning, but the man’s already had a whirlwind of a day and he knows that Jester wants to keep a good relationship with him.

He waves off some of the nearby staff at the bar before continuing. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems us coastal sailors have a thing for Lavorre women.” 

Fjord nods. “Yes, that is true.”

The Gentleman takes a deep breath before he continues. “I assume Jester told you about me and Marion's history?”

“She did.”

“Just…” he sighs. “Don’t make the same mistakes as me.” he finishes quietly.

“Well, I’m not going to leave her, so I'm already doing better on that front.” Fjord says with a hollow laugh while scratching his beard.

The Gentleman has a pained look on his face as he takes another swig. _So much for trying to be nice for Jester’s sake_ , Fjord thinks to himself.

“You’re right. But I never wanted to.” the Gentleman finally replies, still feeling the sting.

There is a silence that falls between them. 

“You know,” Fjord starts, “I’ve learned that if you want to be a better person, or fighter, or friend, or sailor, whatever - you need other people around you. You can’t get better by yourself. And you don’t leave people to be better for them. You get better _with_ them. Together.”

The Gentleman nods thoughtfully. “You’re already so much better than I ever was.”

“Well, it took a lot for me to get where I am. Your daughter was a very big part of that.”

“She certainly has a way of flipping people’s lives upside down, huh.” the Gentleman says, smiling at Fjord.

Fjord smiles back. “In the best possible way.”

As Fjord glances over at him, he really can see the resemblance with Jester. It’s evident that she takes after her mother more, and has many of her characteristics as well, but after seeing all three of them in the same room, it’s noticeable. Of course, the blue skin is obvious, but Jester has her father’s eyes and wavy hair. Not to mention her natural affinity for trouble and sometimes wanting to push just that _little bit_ more. Thinking about all the adventures he has had with Jester over the past year, and all the ways he has gotten to know her - it really makes so much sense that her parents are a courtesan and a crime boss. It’s fitting. 

He’s pulled out of his thoughts by the Gentleman offering him a swig of his flask, which he politely declines. 

“If you need any supplies before your journey, let me know. I’ll do whatever I can.” 

“Thank you, it’s appreciated. We will let you know.” Fjord replies with a nod.

The Gentleman nods in return, and stands up straight to leave. As he does, Fjord grabs the side of his arm and interrupts him.

“Where we are heading is extremely dangerous. Please take good care of Marion. Even if you have no feelings for her at all anymore, just give Jester one less thing to worry about.” he pauses. “Plus, if anything happens to her, I will be very upset.” he finishes, with a borderline intimidating tone.

Keeping eye contact, he responds. “You have my word. I won’t let anything happen to Marion, or the Brenatto family. I will do everything in my power to keep them safe.”

“Thank you.”

The two former sailors give each other a mutual look of respect, and shake hands.

“You’re a good man.” the Gentleman says with a small smile. “Jester is lucky to have you.”

Fjord can’t help his own smile at the mention of Jester. “I’m lucky to have her.”

They both turn to the side when the person staffing the bar alerts Fjord that his order is ready. As Fjord takes it from him, Jester’s father quietly turns around and leaves. 

When Fjord returns to the room that Jester and her mother are in with their food, he is greeted with smiles and gratitude and hugs - and feels his shoulders drop and jaw unclench. And when Marion greets him by saying “Oh, you’re a gem!” Jester knows she means it in more ways than one. 

\----

Two days later in Eiselcross when Jester is snuggled up in Fjord’s arms, she tells him her worries about her parents. Fjord knows he can safely reassure her that her mother is safe from harm in the Gentleman’s care, and that Jester inherited her mother’s strength. 

She falls asleep listening to his steady heartbeat, and he falls asleep to her steady presence. 

At that same time, the Gentleman finds Marion having another late night of quiet worrying. He confidently reassures her that Jester has very protective people around her, and that she is more than capable of knocking the world on it’s ass. 

He gently squeezes her hand as he goes to leave, but she asks him to keep her company for one glass of wine. 

They have 3.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we go! I hope you enjoyed this little series! ☺️
> 
> I found this chapter the hardest to write. I know its shorter than the other ones, but I'm finally happy with it and don't want to disturb it, lol. (Also I'm assuming that Jester told the group, or at least Fjord, about her parent's history).
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has left kudos and comments! I have appreciated every single one ❤️

**Author's Note:**

> And there we go! Chapter 1 done! I hope to have the other 2 chapters done _hopefully_ before Thursday's episode, but no promises! Let me know if you liked it!
> 
> Cross posted on my fjorester side blog as well: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/fjoresterthoughts


End file.
